7 Collect: Lights, Camera, Action! – A cinematographer’s checklist
So you’re on location, you’ve set your camera on a tripod and are ready to do an interview. It’s almost time to press record. Before you do, let’s a have a look a useful list of things to check that you have considered.
We’ll use the acronym SWEFF to remind us of all the steps in the checklist:
SWEFF = Sound, White Balance, Exposure, Focus and Framing
Sound – have you setup and checked your microphone(s), position, connection, levels and listened? Are there any unwanted background sounds, such as traffic or air conditioners?
White Balance – you have configured your lighting setup, now it’s time to check that you have told the camera what should be considered white in this setup. That way your other colours will also look most natural. Check the White Balance options on your camera.
Exposure – is your shot exposed correctly? This means that the correct amount of light is hitting the camera’s sensor. Use a combination of shutter, aperture, and ISO to achieve this.
Focus – have you correctly focussed your shot on the things that you want to be in focus in the frame? Check that your main subject’s eyes are most sharply in focus.
Framing – this means checking everything is in the frame that you want, and where you want it. What is in the background? Is your shot well-composed? Is it the shot size you wanted: CU, MS, WS (Close Up, Mid Shot, Wide Shot)? Does your subject have enough headroom and lookroom? Have you thought about the Rule of Thirds?
If you have considered these things and checked off your own requirements, it might be time to press record and get shooting. Don’t forget to give yourself some extra seconds after you press the button to call action! This will give you some “frame handles” in the edit and ensure you don’t miss anything in the scene’s action.
We really should also add an extra ‘S’ to this checklist, for SAFETY. If you are shooting, it is likely your responsibility that the set and everyone on it has a safe working environment. The safety of people is paramount on your shoot. And make sure your gear is safe and secure also.